Pier 53: Next piece of waterfront development

The $1.5 million improvements will open the pier and water to visitors.

Pier 53 renderings courtesy of the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation.

Pier 53 is the next piece of a larger waterfront park project.

The design for a park at Pier 53 at Washington Avenue and Columbus Boulevard was unveiled last week.

The pier will be an extension of Washington Avenue Green. WAG, a green area that sits at the foot of the pier, was created in 2010.

Fifty-three will serve as the northern anchor of what developers call Wetlands Park, which connects the waterfront piers into a recreational trail system which will run south from Pier 53 to Pier 70.

Once renovated, visitors will now have access to the pier, and more importantly, the water.

A path will snake through the park and a beacon will mark the park's spot along Washington and Columbus. Signs will show site’s history as the nation’s first navy yard and an immigration station where more than 1 million peopled entered the US.